Deck or covering for vehicles



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WITNESSES 6 ATTORNEYS MZL FULLER.

DECK 0R COVERING FOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED 0c.29,1917. RENEWED JUNE 15. 1920.

1,359,686, Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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MZL FULLER, 0F GHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

DECK OR COVERING FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letterllatent. P t t 23, 1920 Application filed December 29, 1917, Serial No. 209,523. Renewed June 15, 1920. Serial No. 389,266.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MZL FULLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Decks or Coverings for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to vehicle tops and more particularly to an improved deck or covering for commercial and pleasure vehicles, my object being the provision of a deck or covering structure which will be rigid, strong and light in weight with permanent waterproof qualities.

In the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention-- Figure 1 is a top plan view partly'broken away to show the frame beneath the'outer covering,

Fig. 2 is a side View and in section,

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the deck,

Fig. 4 is a partial rear elevation,

Fig. 5 is a detail transverse vertical section taken substantially on the line 5-1-5 of Fig. 1, and

ig. 6 is a perspective View of a portion of the frame.

Referring now to these figures and parpartly broken away ticularlyto Figs. 3 and 6 I propose the pro-' vision of a deck frame including longitudinal side boards 10 whose upper and lower edges are shaped, the former to substantially the shape of the upper surface of the finished deck as will be seen by careful reference to Fig. 3. These side boards 10 are connected at their forward and rear ends by end boards 11, whose upper surfaces are curved to conform to the curvature of the crown of the deck and whose side portions have cut-out portions 12 into which are seated the ends of the longitudinal side planks 13, the outer side edges of the latter of which rest upon and are secured to the frame side boards 10.

The side boards 10 are also provided along their upper edges with the series of recesses 14: receiving the reduced ends 15 of the series of cross ribs 16 whose end portions are also cut away at 17 in a manner similar to the cutting away of the end boards 11 therein.

as above described, to receive the spaced parallel side planks 13 of the deck seated bets equaling the thickness of the crown piece 19, the latter of which extends between the side planks 13, across several ribs 16 and is preferably in one piece from one end board 11 to the other. As seen particularly in Figs. 1- and 5, the flexible crown piece 19, which due to its inherent qualities maybe readily curved to the contour of the crown of the deck, and which is for this purpose preferably of the material enerally known as fiber board, is secure by suitable fastening members to the inner edges of the side planks 13 as well as to the front and rear cross boards 11 and the ribs 16, it being noted that the side planks 13 are so seated within the cut-out portions of the end boards 11 and ribs 16 as that the bases of their rabbets 18 are flush with the upper surfaces of the intermediate portions of said end boards and ribs so that with the side edges of the flexible crown plate 19 secured within the rabbets 18 the latter is firmly and uniformly seated upon the upper surfaces of the severalribs and end boards.

It is obvious in this way that I am enabled to readily and conveniently give the deck a considerable crown curvature and provide a strong, light and durable framework, the joints between the sections of which at its upper surface will be thoroughly filled by a coating 20 of a water proof cement, the latter of which will run into any cracks and crevices along the side edges of the crown plate 19 and will also serve as a binder for the upper layer of top material of waterproof textile nature, the edges of which are drawn downwardly at the sides and ends to cover the side edges of the side planks 13and the end edges of the crown plate 19, being secured as by means of a molding 22 tacked around the frame.

It is thus apparent that in addition to the light, strong, durable nature of the deck as proposed by my invention it further embodies the advantage of being permanently waterproof and will support the topmaterial 22 in such manner as to obviate v cracking and breaking of the latter 1. A deck or covering for vehicles comprising a frame including connected end and side boards, the upper edges of which are curved to conform .to the longitudinal and transverse curvature of the deck, a plurality of ribs connectin the side boards, said ribs and end boar s being cut away ad'acent the side boards, spaced parallel si e planks secured within the cut awag portions of the end boards-and ribs wit their outer side edges-extending along the" side boards, the inner edges of said side tending end boards and cross ribs, the up-I per surfaces of which are cut away adjacent opposite sides of the-frame, parallel side planks secured within the cut out portions of the end boardsand cross ribs and having rabbets along their inner edges" whose bases are flush with the upper-surfaces of the end boards and cross ribs between their said cut out ortions, a flexible crown plate, the side e ges of which are secured within the said rabbets and which is in uniform contact with and secured to the upper edges of the end boards and cross ribs between the side planks, the upper surface of the said crown plate being flush with the upper surfaces of the side planks to form a continuous upper supporting face, and a top coverin cemented to the upper face of the frame for the purpose described.

A deck or coverin for vehicles comprising a frame inclu ing side and, end boards and cross ribs connecting the side boards, a pair of parallel side planks set into the said end boards and cross ribs and secured thereto and to the side boards, and

'a crown plate extending above the intermediate portions of the end boards and cross ribs and having its side edges set into the inner side edges of the said planks to form flush joints, a layer of waterproof cement which is applied to the upper surface of the frame so ormed and which enters the said joints of the crown late and side planks, and-a to coverin a ove the cement layer and even y united y the latter to the frame, for the purpose described.

MZL FULLER. Witnesses:

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